The Origin of Skeletor
by GuitarGoat
Summary: Once rejected his place as King of Eternia, the former Prince Keldor will stop at nothing to regain his opportunity to rule again.
1. Chapter 1: King Randor's Story

_AN: I began to get frustrated with all of the inconsistencies in the official Skeletor origin stories, from the early minicomics, the cartoons, the DC Comics version, none of them tell a clear tale. So, I took the aspects that I liked from each and I pieced them together to make this, which is hopefully a coherent and organized origin story that makes some sort of sense._

* * *

Prince Adam loved when his father taught him about the royal family history. Every once in a while, when the mood struck him or when things were rather dull around the palace, King Randor would recall a particular event, and, when among the right company, would tell the story with such intricate detail and voice that Adam had no choice but to listen. On this day, however, the story which the King told shocked Adam into disbelief.  
"I've never told you..." the King began, his familiar storytelling manner seeming somehow more stiff than usual, "...about my brother Keldor..."  
Prince Adam's eyebrows raised in surprise, "You have a brother?"  
King Randor smiled sadly, "Had a brother, yes, I did. A half-brother, anyway. He was three years older than I was. He was a... a half-blood," he choked out the final words as if they tasted bitter in his throat, "Half Human, half Gar."  
"A Gar?" Adam's astonishment grew with each word, "I thought they were mostly gone from Eternia before you were born?"  
"They were," Randor said, "There was only a small colony just outside of the kingdom's borders when I was a child, that was all that was left of them, besides Keldor."  
"...What happened to Keldor?" Prince Adam asked.  
King Randor looked at his son, a look of regret and burden. He took a deep breath, and then began his tale.

o

Two swift, loud knocks sounded from the door to the royal bedroom of the Prince of Eternia. It was obvious who they belonged to, but just to make sure, "Yes, who's there?"  
"Captain Randor, at your service!" came the cheery reply, "Do you have time for guests, my Lord?"  
A hearty chuckle was the response, "You know I always have the time to see my favorite brother!"  
The door opened, and Captain Randor stepped into the room, a big grin on his face. Across the room, Prince Keldor, heir to the throne of Eternia, turned to face his brother with a grin just as big.  
"How goes the war effort, brother?" Keldor asked, extending an arm in greeting, which Captain Randor took enthusiastically.  
"We've driven back the beastmen!" Randor exclaimed, "We've reclaimed the whole Northeastern quarter of the forest!"  
Keldor's grin widened, "This- this is great news!"  
"Before too long, the entire forest will be at peace again!" Randor turned towards the window, overlooking the palace courtyard and the expanse of valleys and farmlands beyond, "Just imagine, brother, by the time you're king, peace on Eternia will be in sight. Like the light at the end of the tunnel."  
Keldor sat back in a desk chair, his gaze dulled in thought, "Yes, it will be quite a few years until I am king."  
"Ah, to be king," Randor thought aloud, "So much power in that, so much... respect."  
"Jealous, brother?" Keldor smirked.  
"Oh, no, no..." the Captain spoke absently, "It will be a glorious time, you've trained for this your whole life! You'll be a marvelous king. Foreign relations will be great, just think! No king in the history of Eternia has been a half-blood before!"  
Captain Randor's back was turned, otherwise he would have seen the smile vanish from Keldor's face. Randor knew he hated that word, why did he say it? _Why?!_  
The prince's smile returned shortly, "Well, you'll still be captain of the guard. You'll still have plenty of power and respect to your name..."  
"Yes..." Randor hadn't noticed his insult, he was still lost in his visions, "Peace on Eternia... Together, we can make it happen, my brother."  
Just then, another knock came at the door. Keldor asked who it was.  
"King Miro wants to see Prince Keldor and Captain Randor at once, sir."  
Randor turned to look at his brother, and Keldor stared back in confusion. The King never requested audience in the evening. Ever. The two brothers gathered themselves and walked through the bedroom door.

o

"Father, you requested us?" Randor spoke as he and Keldor stepped into the throne room where King Miro sat. The old King studied the brothers as they approached. His gaze was heavy, the entire atmosphere of the room was solemn. Keldor could feel a lump in his throat.  
"Randor, Keldor..." the old King began, "I have called you here because I have made a decision that affects the both of you. This decision was not easy for me, so pay close attention."  
"What is it, father?" Randor asked.  
"...I have just met with the palace healer..." King Miro said, the words weighed heavy on his breath, "I... my time in this world is very limited, I'm afraid."  
"Oh... father, no!" Randor exclaimed. Keldor was speechless.  
"And thus, I have made a choice," Miro continued, "Not for myself, but for the benefit of the kingdom... Randor, you will be the heir to the throne of Eternia."  
" _What?_ " Keldor's jaw dropped in disbelief.  
"Father, what are you saying?" Randor asked.  
"I know what I said, and I meant it!" King Miro responded, "Randor will be king of Eternia when I am gone, and you, Keldor, will take his place as captain of the royal guard!"  
Keldor couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could his entire life, his years of training, really be rendered meaningless in mere seconds like this? "B-but father, _why?_ "  
"I will be blunt," Miro said, "I haven't the time to dance around. Keldor, you are unpredictable. I have seen your anger overcome you many times, it is unfit for a king to rule with his anger."  
Randor looked to his brother, concerned. Keldor was starting to tremble.  
"And," the King continued, "I must consider the community as well. You are, after all, a half-blood."  
Keldor broke, "And whose fault is that?! I didn't ask to be born this way!"  
"It is what you are! No citizen will respect a blue skinned king!"  
" _My blue skin is all because_ you _couldn't keep it in your royal pants long enough!_ "  
The King rose, staring death into Keldor's eyes, " _Leave my sight! Leave my palace!_ "  
" _So this is how you treat your firstborn son!_ " Keldor spat.  
" _You are no son of mine!_ " The King's face twisted with rage, " _You are nothing to me, Keldor. You were never destined to be king! Never!_ "  
Keldor shook in anger and hatred, he looked ready to leap at his father and tear his throat apart. He didn't. He whirled around and marched out of the throne room. Randor stared at where he had been for a long moment. Soon he felt his father's hand rest on his shoulder.  
"It is for the best, my son." King Miro said, "You do understand."  
Randor fixed his father with a look of deep conflict and shook his head.  
"Son, you were always destined to be the King of Eternia. Always."  
Randor shook his head again, "But..." He backed away slowly and turned to run after Keldor.

o

The door to the royal bedroom of the former Prince of Eternia swung open with a loud bang, and Keldor stormed through. He placed his head onto the nearest wall and hid his tears of rage with his fists.  
" _He can't do this to me!_ " he whispered, " _I'm the rightful heir to the throne, he can't just take my life away from me!_ "  
He spun around suddenly and with a growl he backhanded a lamp off of his study desk. It landed and smashed on the floor. With another growl Keldor upturned the entire desk, sending papers, pens, ink, all cascading to the floor and into the opposite wall. With a crash, a reading chair sailed through a window. Another howl of rage and the bed mattress was torn to shreds and bouncing off of a wall. A sidetable barely missed Randor's head as it flew out the doorway. Randor cowered behind the doorframe, locking eyes with his brother as he turned to tear another chair to pieces.  
"Please, brother," Randor tried to reason, "He- he's not in his right mind!"  
" _Nobody in this ancients-forsaken palace is in their right mind!_ " Keldor shouted.  
"H-he doesn't know what he said, he-"  
" _I know what he said!_ " Keldor interrupted, "I know what he said, I know what he did! He just took my life away from me! _I mean nothing to him, after twenty years of training to be king, he's thrown me away like garbage!_ "  
"Brother..." Randor tried.  
" _I have no brothers!_ " Keldor shouted one last time before pushing his way past Randor and down the long hallway. Randor landed on his back, staring regretfully after the former Prince of Eternia.

o

"...And that was the last I had seen of my brother as I knew him." King Randor finished.  
Prince Adam could barely comprehend what he had just heard. It felt to him like a whole reality had opened up that he had never known before. He had an uncle who had been the true heir to the throne, Keldor. He wondered for a moment how Eternia would be if Keldor had become king instead of his father.  
"...As you knew him?" Adam found himself asking.  
"Yes..." Randor said, "I met him again only a few years later, but he wasn't the brother that I knew," Randor looked to his son's intrigued face and smiled, "But, that is a story for another time, my son. It is getting late, and you have an appointment in the morning."  
"Aww..." Adam frowned, then smiled "Goodnight father."  
"Goodnight, Adam." Randor said, following his son with his eyes as he strode off to his bedroom, the conclusion of his story already in his mind.


	2. Chapter 2: The Ancient Evil

Eternian citizens in the streets went well out of their way to avoid Keldor as he stalked past them. None of them dared stare for too long, none of them dared to talk about how they had thought they had seen tears on his face until after he was out of sight. He knew they were whispering, he knew what they were saying. It only made him angrier. He felt very naked and alone, for the first time in his life. The guards didn't even bother to try to stop him as he left the city.

Keldor pushed his way through what felt like acres of trees until his legs finally felt tired. His knees gave out and he knelt under a large pine tree and gave in to his emotions. He covered his face with his robe and wept bitterly. His thoughts came in armies, armed with both curses and remedies. _How childish, crying like a baby. How unfit for the future King of Eternia. How dare they treat you of all people like this, they deserve to die!_  
" _Stop!_ " he cried at his thoughts, " _Leave me alone, leave me in peace!_ "  
"Who is... shouting?" a cracked, muffled voice struggled into Keldor's ears and made him reach for the dagger at his side. He quickly wiped his eyes and jumped to his feet, looking around.  
"Who was that?" he asked cautiously.  
"I should be... asking you." the voice responded, "I doubt you can... see me... anyway." It sounded as if the voice was having a very hard time breathing.  
"...I- I am..." Keldor began, then, partly without thinking, he said, "I am the future ruler of Eternia."  
"Is... that... so?" the voice wheezed, "Tell me... what is your... trouble?"  
"Reveal yourself and I might tell you." Keldor said.  
The voice was silent for so long Keldor thought that the owner had gone, but then he heard it, "Is there perhaps... some sort... of reflective surface... a glass or... mirror?"  
Keldor searched. He saw it by accident out of the corner of his eye, a soft gleam in the dirt. He walked to it and unburied a small glass orb. It shone blue in the fading light.  
"Do you mean this, this glass trinket?" Keldor said, turning it over.  
"Yes... yes!" the voice seemed excited, also louder. It was certainly coming from the glass.  
Suddenly something clicked in Keldor's mind, it almost made him drop the orb. It was a legend as old as the Grayskull name, a legend of an ancient evil power.  
"...I know who you are," Keldor said, raising his head.  
"Do... you, now?" the voice breathed.  
Keldor began to smile. Something inside of him forced him to fight his fear and keep hold of the glass. It made him uneasy. He raised the glass ball while trying to avoid gazing too far inside, "I do. And I know that I can be very helpful to you. If I wish to be, that is."  
The voice paused again, considering it's position, "...Do you... think... you can bargain... with me...?"  
"You're trapped in there, aren't you? You've been trapped for hundreds of years."  
"...If you... release me," the voice sounded like it was restraining itself, "I can grant you riches... great riches..."  
"...No," Keldor's mind raced, "I have a proposal of my own to make."  
"You...? Who are... you to be-"  
Keldor was getting impatient, "You're not in much of a position to bargain, _Hordak_."  
The voice was silent.  
"And as I said," Keldor continued, "I am the future ruler of Eternia. I am Keldor, I am the son of King Miro of Eternia."  
"Ahhh..." the disembodied voice of Hordak seemed very interested.  
"I am of more use to you than you know," Keldor continued, his thoughts now buzzing, his uneasiness melting away, "And you are of use to me."  
"So... what is your... proposal, son of Miro?"  
"I will free you from your prison between dimensions," Keldor said, "And in return... you can teach me. You can teach me to be a ruler as powerful as yourself."  
"And what's... to stop me from... betraying you...?"  
"After you have taught me sufficiently, I _may_ tell you the secrets only known to the royal family of Eternia."  
Hordak once again fell silent. Then a sound erupted from the orb, a series of grunts, wheezes, and coughs that Keldor eventually interpreted as laughter.  
"You do... you know how... to make... a bargain," the ancient evil said, "I... accept your... terms."  
"Good," Keldor's smile widened, "Then I am yours. Now tell me, where can I free you?"  
"There... is a witch..." the voice explained, "In the... outskirts of the city... Follower of mine... She knows. She will tell... you..."

o

The beaten old door parted a short while after Keldor's knock to reveal a tall peasant woman with stark white hair. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw the man in front of her and she quickly bowed to the floor.  
"M-my prince..." she stammered. Keldor suspected that she was forcing herself to say it. "What... what may I do for you?"  
"Rise," Keldor commanded, a pang of emotion stinging the back of his throat, "...I am here on important business, witch, and I am not your prince."  
The woman rose, meeting his gaze with fear. She looked behind him, and upon seeing no palace guards, no witch hunters or families of cursed persons she relaxed a little, but her gaze became like ice.  
"Then what do you want?"  
Keldor looked around, then hesitantly reached into his robe and pulled out the orb. His hand trembled a little. The witch woman stared at it for a time, confused. Suddenly she gasped and snatched it from Keldor's hand, hurrying into the house. Keldor managed to step inside before the door slammed shut magically, missing his heel by inches. The woman had set the orb down on a cushion and was waving her hands over it. Keldor stood motionless in horror and fascination.  
"Oh great and mighty demon," the woman was saying, "Oh ancient power, dark and evil, are you there still?"  
"Servant... witch..." the pure evil that emanated from the voice made Keldor want to vomit, "Has the... Son of Miro brought... me?"  
The witch looked behind her, eyes widening as she noticed that the former prince was still there, then she replied slowly, "Yes... he has."  
"Please... do... as you must... Free me..."  
"My Lord?" the witch turned back to the orb, but it was silent again, "...I must hurry," She scooped up the orb and turned to face Keldor "So what connection do you of all people have to the ancient Hordak?"  
"We-" it took a moment for Keldor to gather the words, "We've made a bargain."  
The woman's eyebrows raised.  
"If it will help you trust me I will tell you a secret, I am no longer the Prince of Eternia."  
The witch only became confused, but she said, "...My name is Evelyn, follow me. Don't let anyone see you." She pulled her hood over her head and the door opened to let them both leave.

o

"Please... will we reach our destination before I loose my courage?"  
"We may be far enough away already. Stand still here."  
Keldor stood on the spot where Evelyn had motioned towards. Every nerve in his body was howling for him to turn back, to go to the palace and apologize. His eyes grew misty. But it was too late, he had made a bargain with Hordak, the ancient demon who had been imprisoned in the bleak dimension Despondos so many hundreds of years ago by the Masters of Grayskull. And it was about to be freed.  
Evelyn had placed the orb on the ground in the center of the clearing. She stepped back from it, and raised her hands to the sky.  
" _I summon the powers of darkness, I summon the powers of evil, free my master from the dark Despondos, let his power in this world forever dwell!_ "  
Dark purple mist began to form above the glass ball, but it slowly faded away. Evelyn took a deep breath and repeated her chant. The mist returned, but once again disappeared just as quickly.  
" _You!_ " she snapped back to Keldor, who nearly jumped out of his skin. Her voice was as sharp as needles, " _I need more power! Come help me!_ "  
"I-" Keldor was stunned, "I have no, no powers!"  
"The mighty Hordak will give you power, _Come help me!_ "  
Keldor obeyed, raising his own shaky hands to copy Evelyn's movements. His throat threatened to close up and prevent him from speaking completely.  
Evelyn opened her mouth to begin and Keldor followed her.  
" _I summon the powers of darkness..._ "  
Keldor gasped as he felt it, the Evil, it was like fire under his skin, but it didn't burn.  
" _...I summon the powers of evil..._ "  
He almost missed the second line. He could feel the power as it left his lips in the chant, it tasted like smoke and copper, he licked the inside of his mouth to savor it.  
" _...Free our master from the dark Despondos..._ "  
Keldor could feel his whole body trembling. Pleasure seemed to assault him from all sides, the power flowing into his veins and out through his hands and his mouth stung and burned but it also held him and caressed him and it felt like his skin was going to explode.  
" _...Let his power in this world forever dwell!_ "  
A sudden harsh blast of smoke sent Keldor and Evelyn flying backwards through the bushes. Keldor landed on his side and skidded to a stop. He looked up just as the purple mist and dust parted to reveal the orb, just as it was smashed under a huge metal boot.


End file.
